Parshas Korach

Chof Tes Sivan 5767
 

Volume 3
Issue 35

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PARSHAS KORACH

How many times have your parents, teachers or counselors told you: "Think before you act!"
The name of this week's parshah, Korach, teaches us an important lesson about the power we have to think, speak and do. Thinking and speaking are connected. By talking, we let other people know our thoughts.
The next step is doing. But we shouldn't just go ahead and do things. Before we act, we should stop and think again. By stopping to think, we check to make sure that we will do the right thing.
Of course, we should think before we speak as well. But stopping to think before we act is even more important, because actions cannot easily be undone. If a slip of the tongue causes us to say the wrong thing to a friend, we can apologize and tell him we really didn't mean it. But it's much harder to undo something we have done. That's why it's so important to stop and think before we act.
We can imagine our three powers - thinking, talking and doing - as three lines. The ה is a Hebrew letter which has three lines. Its shape teaches us about thinking, talking, and doing.

In the ה , the top line and the line on the right are connected. They stand for thinking and talking. The line on the left stands for doing. There is a space between it and the other two lines. This teaches that while thinking and talking are connected, there should be a separation between them and doing.

The letter hey is connected to the letters in the name of this week's parshah: Korach. Can you see how each letter in the word Korach, looks like a "wrong" ה ? Indeed, Korach was all wrong.

In the ק , the line of action is much too long. This is like a person who is doing too much and thinking too little. He doesn't have balance. The letter ק looks like it might topple over, it's so lopsided.

Can you guess what's wrong with the ר ? Of course! Standing on only one leg, its like a person who thinks and speaks, but never gets around to doing.

And the ח is missing that space between the line for thinking and the line for doing. This is like a person who doesn't stop to think before he acts.

Everything we think, say, and do should help make this world a home for Hashem. And we can do that by remembering the shape of the letter hey and following the lessons it teaches us.

(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. VIII; Sichos Shabbos Parshas Korach, 5751)

‘The Rebbe Speaks to Children’

 

 

Some on each corner,
To remind of the sky and sea.
___  ___  ___  ___

Please send your answers to connections@shluchim.org
Last weeks’ brain buster: Two; Start with one of our Mitzvos, end with another.

Answer: חלות

Congratulations to Levi Danow from Gothenburg, Sweden
for solving the brain buster.


 

Hi there Young Shluchim!

So how has it been going with your LOGLAG lenses? Ever since I told you kinderlach about them my phone has been ringing off the hook with Shluchim young and old who want to try get a lens for themselves. And since the Rebbe has made sure that there are Shluchim in every corner of the world - and in-between too - my phone has been ringing all day and all night! After all, you can’t really expect a Shliach in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan or in La Paz, Bolivia to know what the time difference is between them and the yellow cornfield State of Iowa. In fact I’m quite sure that until recently they didn’t even know where Iowa was, or that it even existed!
And so I’ve been very busy. So has Mrs Getzel and the Getzel’ites and Getzel’niks who we have staying with us at the moment. You see we made a rotation to answer the phone. After all even myself and Mrs Getzel need to get some rest sometimes! Of course, since everyone agrees that it is my ‘fault’ that we are suddenly so busy, I was nominated to answer the phone for the main part of the night, but I don't mind. It is so nice to talk to so many Shluchim. In fact sometimes we spend so long talking that we forget what we were supposed to be talking about!
Unfortunately for all those people who called though, I couldn't really help them. You see, as I’ve explained before, the way I make lenses is really quite complex, and the lens that is made for one person will not work for a different person. Take for example my latest lens, the LOGLAG lens. If you remember, the purpose of this lens was to help people Look at Only Good things and to Look at Always Good things. But for different people and at different times and in different places, different things are good.
I mean, if you think about the example that we used last week of the internet. Some people definitely should be using it to spread the Torah and Mitzvos, but for other people, say for bochurim in yeshiva, who should be busy learning, maybe the internet isn’t such a good idea. So  I couldn't send just one lens to a Shliach - I’d have to send one for him, another for his wife and another for each of his kinderlach, which is simply not possible right now. So please everyone - STOP CALLING!!! Actually don't! Because like I said I really enjoy talking to so many Shluchim - even at 3am!
You know, one of the nights this week when I was sitting in my office and thinking about how my week has gone, and what sort of hachonos I had been making for Gimmel Tammuz, it suddenly hit me - no not the phone jumping off the hook - I just realized that this is just what the Rebbe wants from us - to be united, to have achdus, and to help each other as much as we possibly can. Like Mrs Getzel and the Getzel’ites and Getzel’niks who were helping me answer the phone, and like we were all trying to help out all those Shluchim out there who were calling.
So kinderlach, this Gimmel Tammuz, and as a hachono for it, why don't we all try to give a bit of extra nachas to the Rebbe, and try and go out of the way to help another shliach, even when it is difficult for us (like at 3am), and for sure it wont be long till the Rebbe is back here with us!
Good luck!


Dr Getzel


kid

Chani Avtzon, age 11
Hong Kong, China

There are 7 children in my family. Bentzi is 19, Cheina is 18, Eliezer is 16, Mendy is 13, I am 11, Chaya is 7 and Leahle is 2.
I go to the Carmel School.
Hong Kong’s skyline is the best skyline ever. I also think it also must be the biggest. The weather is humid in the summer, not too cold in the winter. I love Hong Kong for her art and Chinese
culture.
I help my parents by trying to
encourage them and make mini
programs. I have my own Chabad business card.
We have a Chabad House in a building. We are on the first floor and it looks like a house but in a Shul format.
In my free time I like to draw, dance, use the computer and many more things.
In my house, the CYH Chassidishe Calendar hangs on the bulletin board in my room.

 


pocket_calendar

When קרח and his followers made their accusations against משה רבינו , he was very upset and he said “לא חמור אחד מהם נשאתי ” - “I have not taken even a single donkey of theirs”. The word ‘מהם - of theirs’ seems extra. Why is it there?

We know that when the בני ישראל left מצרים , they did so with great wealth. We are told that every איד had 90 donkeys loaded with gold and silver taken from the מיצרים . משה , who led the אידן out of מצרים was considered a king. According to הלכה , when a king leads an army into battle and is victorious, he is allowed to take half of the wealth that they capture. Therefore, משה was allowed to take 45 loaded donkeys from each of the בני ישראל .

משה became upset when he saw the בני ישראל 's lack of appreciation for all that he had done for them. He was saying, "I was entitled to half of their wealth, yet I did not take even one donkey מהם — of הם — the 45 that I was entitled to. (The word "הם " has the גמטריא of 45.) When will they begin to appreciate all the good I have done for them?"

(Adapted from ‘Vedibarta Bam’)

 


pocket_calendar

ראש חודש תמוז
שבת ל‘ סיון -Sunday א‘ תמוז -


o I remembered to daven the special parts in שבת מוסף for שבת ראש חודש . (שבת )
o I remembered to say יעלה ויבא in שמונה עשרה and in bentching.  (שבת & Sunday)
o I remembered to say הלל after שמונה עשרה . (שבת & Sunday)
o I remembered to daven  מוסף . (Sunday)
o I remembered to say ברכי נפשי after the  שיר של יום . (שבת & Sunday)
o (For Girls) I didn’t sew or do any laundry. (Sunday)

 

 

didyouknow

o Write a פ“ן
o Make a החלטה טובה
o Learn extra תורה
o Say extra תהילים

o Give extra צדקה
o Take part in the World-Wide Rally for Yaldei Hashluchim

For older children:
o Learn some of the מאמר - ‘ואתה תצוה

Rally for ג‘ תמוז

Join together with hundreds of fellow ילדי השלוחים from around the world in a giant ג‘ תמוז farbrengen.

Say the פסוקים , hear a דבר תורה , Watch a special video. Sing ניגונים . Say a לחיים .

When?
Monday
ב‘ תמוז תשס“ז

What time?
11:00 am EST - Hebrew Rally
1:00 pm EST
6:00 pm EST
8:00 pm EST

You should have received an     
e-mail with all the information.  If you didn’t, e-mail: cyh@shluchim.org.

 


(Continued from last week)
The older חסיד had recently found out that the KGB was actively chasing him, so he wanted to know if the Rebbe thought he should flee Moscow and move to another city, or should he remain despite the obvious danger in order to keep up with and further his important educational activities in the Jewish underground, which the Rebbe already knew about.

The second, younger חסיד , wanted the Rebbe's advice whether he should apply for an emigration visa to ארץ ישראל . Recently, a number of such requests had been approved. However, he held an excellent position as a top engineer, and as soon as he would submit his application he would be fired from his job, and if the request was refused, he would be left without any פרנסה .

Rabbi Teitz was very moved by the fiery dedication of the two חסידים . He promised to memorize their names and their questions to tell the Rebbe, as it would be too dangerous to write them down and have such a paper in his possession. The three men relaxed and engaged in conversation. The rabbi mentioned that the Rebbe had given him a תניא to keep with him on the trip.

"Do you mean to say that you have this תניא from the Rebbe in your possession? Now? Here?" they exclaimed enthusiastically.

Rabbi Teitz silently took the תניא from his coat pocket and showed it to them. They eagerly examined it from all sides and angles. They were so happy to be holding a book that less than a week ago had been in the Rebbe's own holy hands.

While holding the ספר , one of them shouted out in amazement. He pointed to something: a page had been folded down at the top corner, as a person sometimes does in place of a bookmark.

They opened to the page and were awestruck by the very first words! "...he is extremely pressed for time and finds it utterly impossible to delay...

"That's my answer from the Rebbe!" cried out the older חסיד , visibly shaking with emotion. The Rebbe is telling me to hurry and escape from here."

The younger Chasid quickly picked up the ספר and eagerly examined it even more closely, hoping to find another folded page. And there was one! This time it only took two words! “להכנס לארץ - to enter the Land..."

"That's the answer for me!" he shouted excitedly. "I should apply to make עלי‘ה to ארץ ישראל now."

The two pleaded with Rabbi Teitz to allow them to keep the תניא . He refused, saying that the Rebbe had instructed him to carry it with him, but had said nothing about giving it to anyone.

(Adapted from ‘L’chaim Weekly’)

 


See the printable version of Connections for incredible fun pages!

 

Sara Bekhor, age 6 from Randolph, New Jersey
Menachem Mendel Schanowitz, age 11 from Las Vegas, Nevada

 

We'd love to hear your feedback! Send us your comments, ideas and suggestions to: connections@shluchim.org
 

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